As early voting begins Monday, Houston police officer J.J. Mounsey removes campaign signs that are improperly placed between the sidewalk and street, causing a hazard for motorists, at a polling place in Spring Branch. less

As early voting begins Monday, Houston police officer J.J. Mounsey removes campaign signs that are improperly placed between the sidewalk and street, causing a hazard for motorists, at a polling place in Spring ... more

Photo: Johnny Hanson, Staff

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HPD officer J.J. Mounsey removes candidate bandit signs from the city easement area between the sidewalk and the street outside an early voting site at the Trini Mendenhall Sosa Community Center Monday, Oct. 21, 2013, in Houston.
Officer Mounsey said he had already received complaints about the signs, which are not supposed to be on grassy area on the street side of the sidewalk.
"People can't see when they try to pull out in their cars," he said. less

HPD officer J.J. Mounsey removes candidate bandit signs from the city easement area between the sidewalk and the street outside an early voting site at the Trini Mendenhall Sosa Community Center Monday, Oct. ... more

Photo: Johnny Hanson, Houston Chronicle

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Brenda Stardig, who is running for the Houston City Council District A seat puts out campaign signs outside an early voting site at the Trini Mendenhall Sosa Community Center Monday, Oct. 21, 2013, in Houston.

Brenda Stardig, who is running for the Houston City Council District A seat puts out campaign signs outside an early voting site at the Trini Mendenhall Sosa Community Center Monday, Oct. 21, 2013, in Houston.

Photo: Johnny Hanson, Houston Chronicle

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Election judge Maria Pedroza, gives volunteers an update on the types of identification accepted at the early voting site at the Trini Mendenhall Sosa Community Center Monday, Oct. 21, 2013, in Houston.

Election judge Maria Pedroza, gives volunteers an update on the types of identification accepted at the early voting site at the Trini Mendenhall Sosa Community Center Monday, Oct. 21, 2013, in Houston.

Photo: Johnny Hanson, Houston Chronicle

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Election judge Maria Pedroza, shows on the types of identification accepted including the election certificate ID at the early voting site at the Trini Mendenhall Sosa Community Center Monday, Oct. 21, 2013, in Houston. less

Election judge Maria Pedroza, shows on the types of identification accepted including the election certificate ID at the early voting site at the Trini Mendenhall Sosa Community Center Monday, Oct. 21, 2013, in ... more

Photo: Johnny Hanson, Houston Chronicle

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A man walks past an early voting sign at the Trini Mendenhall Sosa Community Center Monday, Oct. 21, 2013, in Houston.

A man walks past an early voting sign at the Trini Mendenhall Sosa Community Center Monday, Oct. 21, 2013, in Houston.

Photo: Johnny Hanson, Houston Chronicle

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Davis Peck, puts a sign on his car in support of his daughter, Amy Peck, who is running for the Houston City Council District A seat outside an early voting site at the Trini Mendenhall Sosa Community Center Monday, Oct. 21, 2013, in Houston. less

Davis Peck, puts a sign on his car in support of his daughter, Amy Peck, who is running for the Houston City Council District A seat outside an early voting site at the Trini Mendenhall Sosa Community Center ... more

Photo: Johnny Hanson, Houston Chronicle

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Amy Peck, left, who is running for the Houston City Council District A seat and her father, David Peck, adjust a banner outside an early voting site at the Trini Mendenhall Sosa Community Center Monday, Oct. 21, 2013, in Houston.
"I've wanted to run for a long time," Amy Peck said. " I want to make a lot of changes to my community." less

Amy Peck, left, who is running for the Houston City Council District A seat and her father, David Peck, adjust a banner outside an early voting site at the Trini Mendenhall Sosa Community Center Monday, Oct. ... more

Photo: Johnny Hanson, Houston Chronicle

Image 10 of 12

HPD officer J.J. Mounsey removes candidate bandit signs from the city easement area between the sidewalk and the street outside an early voting site at the Trini Mendenhall Sosa Community Center Monday, Oct. 21, 2013, in Houston.
Officer Mounsey said he had already received complaints about the signs, which are not supposed to be on grassy area on the street side of the sidewalk.
"People can't see when they try to pull out in their cars," he said. less

HPD officer J.J. Mounsey removes candidate bandit signs from the city easement area between the sidewalk and the street outside an early voting site at the Trini Mendenhall Sosa Community Center Monday, Oct. ... more

Photo: Johnny Hanson, Houston Chronicle

Image 11 of 12

Amy Peck, left, who is running for the Houston City Council District A seat and her mother, Arlene Peck, adjust a banner outside an early voting site at the Trini Mendenhall Sosa Community Center Monday, Oct. 21, 2013, in Houston.
"I've wanted to run for a long time," Amy Peck said. " I want to make a lot of changes to my community." less

Amy Peck, left, who is running for the Houston City Council District A seat and her mother, Arlene Peck, adjust a banner outside an early voting site at the Trini Mendenhall Sosa Community Center Monday, Oct. ... more

Photo: Johnny Hanson, Houston Chronicle

Image 12 of 12

Helen Knox, places signs in support of her husband, Mike Knox, who is running for the Houston City Council District A seat, outside an early voting site at the Trini Mendenhall Sosa Community Center Monday, Oct. 21, 2013, in Houston. less

Helen Knox, places signs in support of her husband, Mike Knox, who is running for the Houston City Council District A seat, outside an early voting site at the Trini Mendenhall Sosa Community Center Monday, ... more

Photo: Johnny Hanson, Houston Chronicle

Parker ads swing negative

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Mayor Annise Parker launched her campaign for a final two-year term earlier this year with an upbeat tone, saying the city's booming economy meant she had "the wind at my back" and questioning what issues any opponent could use against her with such broad optimism among voters.

With the Nov. 5 election in two weeks and early voting underway, however, Parker's slogan of "the best can get better" largely has been replaced with "my opponent is awful, don't vote for him."

Parker's first TV ad targeted challenger Ben Hall's residency, saying he lived in Piney Point Village for 11 years and moved inside city limits just to run for mayor. Next came an ad noting Hall repeatedly has paid his property taxes late. Most recently, a Parker ad combined that tax issue with Hall's agreement last January to pay the IRS $680,000 in back taxes and penalties, saying he "doesn't believe in playing by the rules." She has aired similar radio and online ads.

The Parker campaign has positive pieces on its website, but political analysts said casual voters likely will see only the negative TV spots.

"What the mayor is able to do, given her absolute dominance of the TV airwaves, is that she's able to define Hall for many voters who have a relatively limited amount of information about him, voters whose only information about Hall generally comes from what they see and hear on television," said Rice University political scientist Mark Jones, adding he is surprised Parker has not aired more positive ads, to avoid criticism for negativity, if nothing else.

Hall has been off the airwaves for weeks, despite a $520,000 buy in August and smaller follow-ups. The largely self-funded challenger entered October low on cash, $2.2 million of the $2.7 million he had raised having come from his own pocket. Parker has raised $3 million this year. A September poll put Parker at 34 percent, Hall at 14 percent and nearly half of respondents undecided.

Hall said Monday he will run "several" ads sometime during early voting, and called Parker's negative approach a "fundamental blunder."

"If I were a 16-year career politician I would have at least pointed to one thing I'd done right, and the fact that she didn't, I think the voters will immediately recognize she could not run on her record," Hall said, adding Parker's attacks gave him more name recognition than he could have bought.

Looking for a runoff?

Parker campaign spokeswoman Sue Davis said the mayor is in the news daily "with a new or innovative program for the city," expanding recycling, helping the homeless or announcing a new way of approaching street projects, and said Parker attends numerous community gatherings.

"Houstonians know Annise Parker," Davis said. "Our campaign wanted Houstonians to know the facts about Mr. Hall because he has hidden the truth about his record."

Some of Hall's ads have been biographical, but he also has used his spots to accuse Parker of "hiding the truth," of being silent on crime, and to imply she has abused her office for personal gain. Asked about his own negativity, Hall pointed to his crime-themed ad, in which he talked mostly about his plans on the topic.

Political analysts say Hall appears to be playing for a runoff, while Parker is working to ensure no runoff occurs. A runoff occurs between the top two voter-getters if no one receives more than 50 percent of the vote in November. The likelihood of a second vote in December, observers have said, may hinge on how many votes the other seven poorly-funded mayoral candidates get.

Democratic political consultant Mustafa Tameez said Parker is pursuing a "pre-emptive strike" to discredit Hall in the minds of voters so that if he dumps cash into a last-minute attack it will have less effect.

"When you're running against a multi-millionaire who's demonstrated he's willing to put millions of dollars in the campaign, he could easily do that toward the end," Tameez said. "Would that be effective towards her? Absolutely."

More Information

Propostion 6: Nature is posing a challenge, supporters say. B1

Politics 101

Republican communications consultant Jim McGrath called Parker's approach "Politics 101," saying the mayor could face a backlash if she aired salacious attacks, but said he sees little risk in highlighting Hall's tax troubles. Still, McGrath said he would advise Parker to capitalize on voters' positive mood; a recent poll showed 62 percent of likely voters think Houston is on the right track, and 57 percent approved of Parker's work.

"You have to figure Ben Hall is going to come out with a haymaker or two of his own, so you want to keep some positives out there even as you continue to define your opponent," McGrath said.

Political observers differed on whether Parker is likely to shift gears before Election Day. Tameez said most campaigns go positive at the end, and anticipates the same now. University of Houston political scientist Brandon Rottinghaus, however, said it would not surprise him if Parker ran no positive ads.

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